By Keith Toornman

The ACT (American College Test) and the MME (Michigan Merit Exam) are two tests that plague the thoughts of almost every junior in high schools everywhere. These tests are meant to test the mental capabilities of every student. The scores that are achieved decide a lot of things from how colleges view the student to grant money the high schools receive.

The testing is three days in a row and students only receive a small break each day. Not only do the tests themselves wear out the students, but then they are expected to attend the second half of the day at school. This combination of unrelenting tests while still maintaining normal school work can be very stressful on students.

Many students spend a lot of time studying every subject with no premonition of what the exams will entail, while other students simply do no studying and hope that their memory will withhold long enough for the tests. After the day of testing, a majority of students tend to just skip the second half of the day to get a break from the testing environment and the stress.

“I’m pretty nervous about it” said Rachel Reed, a junior at Loy Norrix. “For being just a simple test it determines where I go to college.”

Reed plans on studying hard and using her first attempt at the ACT as practice for later attempts.

Another junior taking the tests this year is Elizabeth Rojas, but she has a very different plan.

“If I do badly I’ll probably retake it and actually study the second time around,” said Rojas.

Rojas plans on taking the tests without studying at all. She believes that she can do well enough on the tests with her current knowledge.